Skip to Navigation Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Microbiology Logo Microbiology & Immunology
Te Tari Moromoroiti me te Ārai Mate

UPCOMING SEMINAR: Josh Lange

Posted by on 5 August 2019 | Comments

12:00noon Monday 5th August
Room 208, 2nd floor,
Microbiology builing, 
720 Cumberland Street

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell dependent activation of murine lung dendritic cells

MAIT cells are a conserved invariant T cell subset that act as key effectors in anti-microbial immunity. Indeed, MAIT cells rapidly exert effector functions upon TCR-dependent recognition of riboflavin metabolites, presented in the context of MR1, or in a TCR independent manner via cytokines. Studies in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have shown the ability for MAIT cells to be activated by antigen presenting cells (APCs) loaded with the riboflavin precursor, 5-A-RU. In turn, MAIT cells are able to feedback on the APCs to activate them in a CD40-CD40L dependent manner. By intravenously administering 5-A-RU together with methyl glyoxyl to mice, we show that DCs in the lung and corresponding draining lymph node become highly activated 18 hours post injection. Furthermore, these sites show a large influx of Ly6C+ inflammatory monocytes. These results suggest that MAIT cells may possess the necessary signals to adjuvant APCs in generating antigen-specific T cell responses.